LIN Z K, WAN M, LI T,et al.Prescribed performance tracking control for a satellite attitude control system under external disturbances and state constraints[J].Journal of Henan Polytechnic University(Natural Science) ,2026,45(5):60-70.

doi:10.16186/j.cnki.1673-9787.2025120018

Received:2025/12/08

Revised:2026/04/28

Published:2026-07-24

Prescribed performance tracking control for a satellite attitude control system under external disturbances and state constraints

Lin Zekai, Wan Min, Li Tao

College of Automation Engineering， Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics， Nanjing 211106， Jiangsu， China

Abstract: Objectives To achieve accurate tracking of reference trajectories， this study investigates the attitude tracking control problem for a satellite attitude control system subject to external disturbances， performance constraints， and state constraints. Methods A prescribed performance anti-disturbance control scheme is proposed based on improved prescribed performance control （PPC）， disturbance observer-based control （DOBC）, and barrier Lyapunov function （BLF） techniques. First， a finite-time performance function with a slow–fast–slow convergence characteristic is designed to dynamically adjust convergence rates in different response stages， thereby improving transient and steady-state performance. Second， a prescribed-time disturbance observer （PTDO） based on a time-scale function is developed to ensure that the estimation error converges to a sufficiently small residual set within a predefined time. Third， the BLF method is employed to transform the constrained satellite attitude system into an equivalent unconstrained system， and a prescribed performance anti-disturbance controller is designed using the backstepping method combined with disturbance estimation. Furthermore， Lyapunov stability theory is applied to derive sufficient conditions guaranteeing uniform boundedness of the closed-loop system， and a coordinated design framework for the controller and observer is established. Finally， numerical simulations are conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.  Results Under external disturbances， the PTDO achieves fast and accurate disturbance estimation and compensation within a predefined time. Meanwhile， the proposed controller ensures that the satellite attitude control system satisfies asymmetric time-varying state constraints， and the attitude tracking error converges within a predefined performance bound. Conclusions Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed method enables high-precision attitude tracking control of satellite systems under external disturbances and complex state constraints.

Key words:satellite attitude control system;tracking control;prescribed performance control;state constraints;prescribed time disturbance observer